The Awami League on Monday launched a sweeping 21-point movement to reclaim the vision of “Mujib-Hasina’s Bangladesh,” signalling a determined political drive against Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s current government. The party called for Yunus’s resignation, the release of detained allies, and legal action against those involved in recent unrest, pledging a mass campaign to restore their leadership ahead of forthcoming elections.
The announcement follows Yunus’s July Declaration, presented on August 5 before major political factions including the BNP, NCP, and Jamaat-e-Islami. In this declaration, Yunus drew parallels between the 2024 student-led uprising and Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, demanding constitutional and legal reforms to hold Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s and Sheikh Hasina’s administrations accountable. Supporters have hailed the declaration as a new charter for Bangladesh’s liberation.
In response, the Awami League crafted its own manifesto, deliberately avoiding the term “charter” but framing the 21-point plan as a contemporary liberation agenda. It demands an end to Yunus’s tenure, the liberation of Awami League leaders and supporters, and trials for those accused of violence during the uprising. The manifesto also stresses the safeguarding of national emblems such as the flag, anthem, and constitution, alongside reviving the secular and progressive spirit of the Liberation War.
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“Our goal is to bring back Mujib-Hasina’s Bangladesh, which Yunus has destroyed,” a senior Awami League leader declared, asserting that no election in Bangladesh would be legitimate without the party’s participation. The movement seeks to unite all non-communal forces to rebuild the country envisioned by its founding leaders.
Historically, the Awami League drew on past milestones, recalling its 2008 election manifesto, described by Hasina as a “charter for the liberation of Bangladesh,” which outlined a vision for national progress by 2100. The party also referenced Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s six-point demand of 1966, hailed as the original blueprint for East Pakistan’s autonomy, and the 21-point United Front declaration of the 1950s that rallied workers and farmers.
Accusing the Yunus government of widespread corruption, political persecution, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and lawlessness during its year in power, the Awami League vowed that its 21-point campaign would serve as the unifying force to restore democracy and stability.
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